1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a method of forming a multi-layered wiring structure, and further to a semiconductor device manufactured by the above-mentioned method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Regarding semiconductor integrated circuits, higher speed, higher performance, and miniaturization of devices are being promoted along with generations, and in particular, signal propagation delays constitute a critical problem in accordance with the miniaturization. The signal propagation delays are classified into gate delay components and wiring delay components. The gate delays tend to decrease in accordance with the miniaturization of transistors, whereas the wiring delays tend to increase in accordance with the miniaturization of the wirings. The wiring delays are determined by the product CR of wiring capacitance C and wiring resistance R. Therefore, reduction of the wiring capacitance C by lowering the electric permittivity of a wiring interlayer dielectric film is now being considered as a measure for restraining the wiring delays. One of such measures is directed to reduction of capacitance by use of a silicon oxide film containing fluorine (F-doped silicate glass, hereafter referred to as FSG film in this specification) as the wiring interlayer dielectric film.
FIGS. 9 to 13 are cross section views illustrating steps in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a background art. First, a plurality of wirings 102a to 102e are formed as a first wiring layer on an upper surface of an underlying dielectric film 101 (FIG. 9). Next, an FSG film 103 is formed on the structure shown in FIG. 9 (FIG. 10). Then, a silicon oxide film 104 containing no fluorine (undoped silicate glass, hereafter referred to as USG film in this specification) is formed on the structure shown in FIG. 10 (FIG. 11). Next, the USG film 104 is polished and removed by a predetermined thickness from an upper surface thereof by the CMP method to flatten the surface of the USG film 104. This completes an interlayer dielectric film 150a made of the FSG film 103 and a USG film 105 (FIG. 12). Then, after the surface of the interlayer dielectric film 150a is cleaned with HF, a plurality of contact holes 106a to 106e, which are respectively in contact with the wirings 102a to 102e and each filled with a conductor plug, are formed in the interlayer dielectric film 150a. Then, after a metal film is formed over an entire surface of the interlayer dielectric film 150a, the metal film is patterned by the photolithography method and the anisotropic dry etching method to form a plurality of wirings 107a to 107e, which are respectively in contact with the contact holes 106a to 106e, as a second wiring layer (FIG. 13).
However, from the viewpoint of reduction in the wiring capacitance, it is effective to increase the ratio occupied by the FSG film 103 in the interlayer dielectric film 150a by increasing the thickness of the FSG film 103.
FIGS. 14 to 17 are cross section views showing steps in a method of manufacturing another semiconductor device according to a background art. First, on the structure shown in FIG. 9, an FSG film 108 is formed to a thickness larger than the thickness of the wirings 102a to 102e (FIG. 14). Next, on the FSG film 108, a USG film 109 is formed to a thickness larger than the thickness of the FSG film 108 (FIG. 15). Then, the USG film 108 is polished and removed by a predetermined thickness from an upper surface thereof by the CMP method to flatten the surface of the USG film 104 to such an extent that the FSG film 108 is not exposed. This completes an interlayer dielectric film 150b made of the FSG film 108 and a USG film 110 (FIG. 16). Then, after the surface of the interlayer dielectric film 150b is cleaned with HF, contact holes 106a to 106e and wirings 107a to 107e are formed in the same manner as described above (FIG. 17).
However, according to the conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device shown in FIGS. 14 to 17, a part of the upper surface of the FSG film 108 will be exposed by the CMP process of the USG film 109 if variations occur in the thickness of the USG film 109 formed on the FSG film 108 or in the amount of the USG film 109 polished in the CMP step.
Therefore, in the subsequent cleaning step, a step difference is created on the upper surface of the interlayer dielectric film 150b due to the difference in the etching rate of HF between the FSG film and the USG film (for example, if a 1% diluted HF is used, the etching rate of the FSG film is 40 nm/min while the etching rate of the USG film is 20 nm/min). FIG. 18 is a cross section view showing such a step difference. The upper surface of the FSG film 108 is at a level lower than the upper surface of the USG film 110 to form a step difference 11 at a boundary part.
If the wirings 107a to 107e are formed on the interlayer dielectric film 150b by the above-mentioned method under such a circumstance where the step difference 111 has been created, a metal side wall is formed along the step difference 111. FIGS. 19 and 20 are a cross section view and a top view showing such a side wall. A metal side wall 112 is formed along the step difference 111. Referring to FIG. 20, a wiring 107e2 is formed in parallel with a wiring 107e1 in an FSG-exposed region where the upper surface of the FSG film 108 is exposed. The wiring 107e1 and the wiring 107e2 are electrically connected with each other via the metal side wall 112. In other words, a short circuit occurs between the wirings in the upper layer, i.e. the second wiring layer.
Also, in the case where the wirings 107a to 107e are to be formed as buried wirings, that is, to be more specifically described, in the case where the steps of (a) depositing a dielectric film over an entire surface of the structure shown in FIG. 18, (b) removing the dielectric film to form a recess in a region where the wirings 107a to 107e are to be formed, (c) depositing a metal film over an entire surface to a thickness larger than the thickness that fills the recess, and (d) performing the CMP until the dielectric film is exposed, are performed in this order to form the wirings 107a to 107e buried in the recess, a part of the metal film remains on the dielectric film between the wiring 107e1 and the wiring 107e2 to generate a short circuit between the wiring 107e1 and the wiring 107e2.
Thus, the conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device involves a problem such that, in the case where a part of the upper surface of the FSG film constituting the interlayer dielectric film is exposed due to variations in a production step, a step difference occurs on the upper surface of the interlayer dielectric film in a later cleaning step, leading to a short circuit between the wirings in the upper wiring layer.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of (a) forming a first layer wiring on an underlying layer; (b) forming a first dielectric film on a structure obtained by the step (a); (c) forming a second dielectric film on the first dielectric film, the second dielectric film being made of a different material from the first dielectric film; (d) reducing a thickness of the second dielectric film by a predetermined thickness from a surface thereof to form an interlayer dielectric film made of the first dielectric film and the second dielectric film having a reduced thickness; (e) cleaning the surface of the interlayer dielectric film with a cleaning liquid whose etching rate to the first dielectric film and etching rate to the second dielectric film are substantially the same; and (f) forming a second layer wiring on the surface of the interlayer dielectric film.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device described in the first aspect is characterized in that the first dielectric film is a dielectric film made of a material having a lower electric permittivity than the second dielectric film, and that the second dielectric film is a dielectric film made of a material having a lower moisture absorptivity than the first dielectric film.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device described in the first or second aspect is characterized in that the first dielectric film is a silicon oxide film containing fluorine, the second dielectric film is a silicon oxide film containing no fluorine, and the cleaning liquid is any one of ammonia hydrogen peroxide mixture, TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydride), and EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid).
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device described in any one of the first to third aspects is characterized by further including the step of (g) performing a heat treatment for eliminating moisture contained in the first dielectric film, the step (g) being carried out between the step (e) and the step (f).
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device described in any one of the first to third aspects is characterized by further including the step of (h) forming a third dielectric film on the surface of the interlayer dielectric film, the third dielectric film being made of a material having a lower moisture absorptivity than the first dielectric film, the step (h) being carried out between the step (e) and the step (f).
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device described in the fifth aspect is characterized by further including the step of (i) performing a heat treatment for eliminating moisture contained in the first dielectric film, the step (i) being carried out between the step (e) and the step (h).
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device is produced by a method described in any one of the first to sixth aspects.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if a part of the upper surface of the first dielectric film is exposed in the upper surface of the interlayer dielectric film in the step (d) due to the variations in the production step, there will be no step difference on the upper surface of the interlayer dielectric film by cleaning because the cleaning is carried out in the step (e) with the use of a cleaning liquid whose etching rate to the first dielectric film and etching rate to the second dielectric film are substantially the same. Therefore, the generation of short circuits between the second layer wirings, which is brought about by the electrically conductive sidewalls formed along the step difference, can be evaded.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the reduction of wiring capacitance by lowering the electric permittivity of the interlayer dielectric film is compatible with the evasion of decrease in the close adhesion between the interlayer dielectric film and the second layer wiring, which is brought about by the high moisture absorptivity of the first dielectric film.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the etching rate of ammonia hydrogen peroxide mixture or the like to the silicon oxide film containing fluorine is substantially the same as the etching rate of ammonia hydrogen peroxide mixture or the like to the silicon oxide film containing no fluorine, there will be no step difference on the upper surface of the interlayer dielectric film by surface cleaning of the interlayer dielectric film using ammonia hydrogen peroxide mixture or the like.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, even if a part of the upper surface of the first dielectric film is exposed in the upper surface of the interlayer dielectric film due to the variations in the production step, the close adhesion between the interlayer dielectric film and the second layer wiring can be enhanced because the moisture absorbed by the first dielectric film in the previous steps is eliminated by the heat treatment.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, even if a part of the upper surface of the first dielectric film is exposed in the upper surface of the interlayer dielectric film due to the variations in the production step, decrease in the close adhesion of the second layer wiring can be evaded because the exposed upper surface of the first dielectric film is covered with the third dielectric film, and the second layer wiring is formed on the third dielectric film.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, even if a part of the upper surface of the first dielectric film is exposed in the upper surface of the interlayer dielectric film due to the variations in the production step, the close adhesion between the second layer wiring and the third dielectric film can be further enhanced because the moisture absorbed by the first dielectric film in the previous steps is eliminated by the heat treatment.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device can be provided that can achieve evasion of short circuits between wirings in the second layer wiring, evasion of decrease in the close adhesion between the second layer wiring and the interlayer dielectric film, and reduction of the wiring capacitance by lowering the electric permittivity of the interlayer dielectric film.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device which is capable of evading generation of a short circuit between wirings in an upper wiring layer even if a part of an upper surface of an FSG film is exposed by variations in a production step, and a semiconductor device manufactured by the above-mentioned method.
These and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.